G O N E
by WeHoldTheseTruths
Summary: If he had a chance, he would do it all over again. And he just may get that chance.
1. Prolouge

I really should be doing my homework. Oh well. This is the first story I've ever written for this fandom so I hope that you enjoy!

Disclaimer- I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.

* * *

Lucy sighed once again as she headed down to the guild. She was beginning to dread going to the lively place, and for one reason: Lisanna. Now, she didn't hate the girl or anything, no it was far from that, rather Lucy was absolutely taken by her bubbly personality and upbeat attitude, but it was just that, well, amidst all of the celebration and nostalgia, she was lost in translation.

For two weeks, the entire guild turned all of their attention and energy to Lisanna and what she had seen, done, heard, learned, experience, and what ever else they could think of while she was gone. And for two weeks Lucy sat at the bar, slumped over, wondering when it would all end. She had no one to confide in, not even the ever-caring Mirajane, who was also caught up in the excitement of her sister's return. The only one who felt out of place too was Wendy, but she had quickly adapted to the environment of the guild and also asked Lisanna questions about her other self.

Now, this would have been all fine and dandy, Lucy after all, had come from a place where she had been put second all the time, and she could bare with this for a few more weeks. But, the breaking point for her had been a couple of days, when she saw her team heading out to the train station, without her.

* * *

"Lucy!" Happy had called when he spotted her.

"Happy, what's up?" she had asked, not wanting to seem upset about what she saw.

"We're going on a mission!"

"Oh and with who?" she felt tense all over, wondering why no one had asked her to join them.

"With Lisanna!" Natsu had answered from behind.

She turned and saw the two of them happily smiling at her. Her gaze wondered to the shorthaired girl beside Natsu, whose arm was wrapped happily around his, and he didn't seem to mind it one bit.

"Ah, I see," she said smiling. She winced inside, wondering how long it had been since she actually had forced a smile like this.

It was only a couple of years ago, but it had seemed like ages, a completely different lifetime. She had only ever used this smile at the lavish galas and balls that were often thrown in her father's old estate. It was a smile that hid her from the world, her mask.

"Yeah! Since she just got back we'll only be gone for a couple of days," Natsu continued, not noticing how fake her smile seemed.

"You're welcome to come too," the silver haired girl said "We can wait for you if you like."

Lucy shook her head and smiled again, "No it's alright, I promised Wendy I would do a job with her actually."

Of course, that was a lie. In reality she wanted to go, she wanted to get between them and stop their rekindling relationship, she wanted to pull that pink-haired idiot aside and yell out her feelings for him, but none of that happened, none of that she was capable of, not when she saw how happy Lisanna made him.

The other three nodded their heads in acknowledgement, and upon hearing the warning whistle of the train hurriedly said goodbye and rushed off, laughing playfully as they disappeared from her sight.

She had felt a sharp, piercing pain deep in her chest, she felt lost and lonely, but more importantly heart broken. She had heard before, of the relationship that the two of them once had, how well they had gotten along and their childhood promises, but she never thought she would have to worry about them, she had thought that it was all in the past. Lucy felt like a fool, like she had been played, like her heart was ripped out in front of her.

Why had she fallen in love with him? Of all the people in the world it had to be Natsu, the crazy, strong, determined, compassionate man who she spent most of her days with, the man who quickly became one of her best friends.

And now here she was, witnessing the rebirth of a lost first love, and all she could do was stand on the sidelines. She felt so broken, so shattered. Lucy knew that she had no chance.

* * *

So now, as she stood hesitantly in front of the guild doors, the young spirit mage dragged herself into the guild. It was lively as usual, and as was the case of late, Lisanna and this time Natu were the cetain of attention, regaling the crowd with the stories of their recent mission, which had turned out to be a lot more than simple monster extermination.

Lucy steered away from the story telling, quietly making her way down into the library, not seeing that one guild member had noticed her slip away from the crowd. She carefully made her way down the stone stairwell, before emerging into the well-lit archive/library of Fairy Tail. The master's collection of books and histories was magnificent, and she liked to spend as much time reading them as she could. The blonde-haired vixen wondered up all the bookshelves, searching for something that might peak her interest when she sensed another presence in the room.

"I think that this volume in particular might interest you," a voice said "it's about stellar magic."

Lucy turned to face the source, and looked down sheepishly as soon as she did. Her master was standing a few feet away, holding out the book he had been talking about. She walked over and gingerly took the tome from his hand and thanked him.

"I didn't think anyone saw me come down here," she whispered, not finding the courage to speak any louder.

"I saw you slip past everyone else when you first came in," he replied taking a seat at the nearest table "I thought that I might check on you, you haven't been yourself lately."

Lucy stood there for a moment before joining the old man at the table, taking the seat that was directly across from him. She contemplated what to say, how to explain herself and her awful behavior lately, but nothing came to mind, nothing that wouldn't seem as selfish and bratty as it really was.

"You don't have to explain yourself," the master said after a few moments of silence. "But I would like you to know that if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

He smiled before hopping down from the chair and walking back up the stairway. Lucy's gaze followed him, watching as he too disappeared from her sight before dropping her gaze back toward the empty seat. That's when she noticed a silver key on top of a book that had been previously left there. She smiled as she reached over to examine the symbol and blinked in surprise. It was rare indeed, and old, it was a symbol from the Lost Magic, one she didn't clearly recognize. Then she remembered her book, and for the time being, allowed herself to be swept away by the magic of her book.

Hours had passed before Lucy had finally closed the lengthy tome and turned her attention back to the key itself. All of the new information she had just learned was intense, and mysterious. She had to know. Not just as a scholar, or a mage, but as a person. She knew automatically what she wanted, no what she had to do. Taking the book and key with her, she quickly exited the library, and returned to the upper level of the guild, seeing that it was still in fact, taken captive by Lisanna her stories. She stood for a moment listening to one about how the other Natsu was in love with transportations and how he was when he was dragged away from his vehicles.

Most of the stories she told Lucy had experienced and felt no need to have to listen in on what were sometimes over exaggerations. She instead made her way to the bar where Mirajane was wiping and putting away glasses.

"Lucy!" she called warmly as the blonde approached one of the bar stools. "Where have you been all morning?'

"Just downstairs, there was some research that I had wanted to do," she replied, not daring to mention anything about her loneliness or jealousy to Mira.

Mira nodded in understanding and went back to humming happily as she wiped the glasses and put them in their proper places beneath the counter. Lucy had once again opened the book, reexamining the chapter that had intrigued her the most.

_It was once said that the use of stellar spirits and the forging of contracts with the spirits came from an ancient art once practiced by a group of clans called 'The Council of the Dragon'. Today, no such council exists, at least not to the surface world. There has been much speculation as to which clans were linked to the council and if any of their ancestors live today. The little evidence that we have today indicates that there were twelve clans, one clan for each of the cardinal directions and for each of the holy animals of the zodiac. This points that cities in the east, particularly, Edo (_1_), as the stronghold of the council. _

"YHAHAHAHAHAHA!" and obnoxious laugh interrupted her concentration. She turned to look for the source, and came face to face with the one and only fire dragon slayer, Natsu.

"OH MY- Natsu what the hell are you doing?" she yelled back at him, hitting him on the head with her book (AN: Maka Chop!).

"Ouch! Geez Luce, I just wanted to bring you over to the table," he said rubbing the spot where the book had made contact. "We're gonna tell everyone about what happened in Edoras."

Lucy hesitated, feeling torn between which she would choose, stay with Natsu or pursue the book. She bit her lip in frustration, and looked up at him, opening her mouth to answer when she saw Lisanna pounce on Natsu's back, hugging him from behind.

"Come on silly!" she laughed. Natsu turned to face her to retort, but was surprise attacked by a kiss.

Lucy sat there stunned, wondering what the hell she had just witnessed. She could already feel the tears start to well up in her eyes as she watched them break apart, Natsu slightly pink but grinning sheepishly.

"Not in front of Lucy and your sister!" Natsu whined. "Sorry about that Lucy, anyway-"

"You're together?" she asked quietly, looking down at the key she hadn't noticed she was clenching in her hand.

"Yup! As of the day we left for the mission!" Lisanna answered happily, kissing the boy's check.

Lucy stood abruptly, moving away from the pair, grabbing her things quickly. "I'm sorry there's something I have to do right now, but have fun. And congratulations."

Three pairs of curious eyes followed her, wondering what on earth had just happened, but no one went after her, no felt the need, nor saw any reason to go after her. Everything simply went on the way it was.

* * *

When Lucy awoke the next morning, she could feel how heavy and puffy her eyes had become from all of the crying she had done the night before. Glancing at her clock she saw that it was just past 6, and rolled out of bed, knowing now she couldn't go back to sleep, not after remembering what happened yesterday.

After the completion of her daily rituals, Lucy made her way to the kitchen to fix some breakfast, and as she walked passed her desk she caught sight of the book and the key. Lucy stopped for a moment and walked toward the two items. She picked up the key and stared for a moment before clenching it tightly in her fist. She had made up her mind. Quickly, Lucy gathered her things and pulled on her boots, food could wait, what she had to do had to be done now, before she changed her mind.

Lucy ran all the way to the guild, and by the time she was there she was out of breath. She drew herself to full height, staring intently at the sign before entering confidently; knowing that the only one who would be there was the master. As she had expected, the master was perched on top of the bar cross-legged, with a bustling Mira behind him (someone she hadn't expected).

"Master," she called and he looked at her. Knowingly he nodded and motioned for her to follow. The pair went upstairs and took a seat at the table on the landing.

"Are you sure?" he asked with piercing eyes. She wasn't surprised that he had figured out what was going on and why she was there. In fact she had counted on this, hoping it would help make it easier for her.

"Yes, I truly I feel I have to do this." She hesitated with her next words. "I don't plan on quitting the guild though."

He nodded, "I never expected you too."

* * *

It was a few days later, and everything was as it always was, except now the excitement of Lisanna's arrival was finally dying down, and everything was almost the way it was before, except for one thing. Natsu continued to gaze at the doors of Fairy Tail in a state of impatience.

"What's wrong loser?" Gray asked as he leaned back in his chair, carefully watching from the corner of his eye.

"Nothing," Natsu mumbled, not comprehending the insult. "It's just I haven't seen Lucy in two days, I was wondering where is."

"Mission maybe?"

Natsu snorted in irritation. It's not like she would do that to him, after all weren't they partners? She woudn't leave without him right?

"Lucy won't be here for awhile," Mira and Erza appeared at the table, both looking equally worried.

"What are you talking about?" Natsu asked with worry.

Mira hesitated and looked at Erza who took over from there. "Apparently a few days ago she approached the master and asked him for leave. She left soon after."

Natsu stared in disbelief. She really had left, no warning, no note, note even a simple goodbye.

"She did leave this for you," Mira said handing him a small envelop. "She left one for the entire guild but this one is for you personally."

"What does it say?" Lisanna asked who had appeared next to him. She had already heard the whole story.

Natsu didn't answer; he simply stood and walked outside, tearing open the letter as he went. Once he was out he began to read it.

_I'm sorry I didn't say anything before, I'm sorry that all I left was thi_s _letter, I'm sorry that I didn't go say goodbye, but I'm not sorry for leaving. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone, or when exactly I'm coming back, but you're in good hands, I know. _

_I see how you look at each other, your laughs and smiles. That's something I wished we had since the first day I met you. I wish I would have told you all of this in person, but I was too afraid to, I didn't have the courage to face you and tell you all of this. But, I love you. I have since day one. _

_But you have her now, and I'm sure you'll be happy. I didn't decide to leave just because of you, I want you to know that. I really am happy that you two are together again. And don't worry, I plan on giving up on you, so that by the time I get back then we can go back to being friends without the awkwardness. I wish you the best of luck and happiness in the world._

_-Lucy_

_P.S. The master gave me a proper send off so don't worry. (2)_

The letter dropped from his hands as Happy zoomed out of the guild, he too had a small note in his paws, his face contorted in fear.

"Natsu!"

But he couldn't hear it, he heard nothing, he saw nothing, he felt nothing, for that moment he felt what Lucy had felt a few days before. His world came crashing down. And he didn't even know it.

* * *

I was thinking of making this a multi-chapter. What do you guys think? FYI it's one in the morning. I'm sleepy so sorry for mistakes!

1. Yes, I am using the old name for tokyo as a town in the Fairy Tail world

2. Fairy Tail send off thing. I forget what it's called. Check the chapters where Erza sends off Kou&Co. and when Natsu fights Mistogun.

Truly Yours,

WeHoldTheseTruths


	2. Passages taken from 'Stellar History'

Today I logged onto my email and what do I find? Over twenty mails from FanFiction? I want to firstly thank everyone who read and reviewed and favorited this story and put me on their alert lists. I was truly amazed by how much feedback I got in such a short amount of time. As per quest by everyone who reviewed, I will be continuing this story! Yay! But, I should warn you all that I won't have a lot of time to be finishing this and putting out chapters, as I will be applying to college in the fall. Wish me luck! But, because all of you lovely people were so earnest, and wonderful here's another chapter, just for you. This chapter will be excerpts from the book, specifically ones that she had read and interested her, so that you know more about why she left and what's going on.

Disclaimer for the entire series, I only own the plot, and the original characters, in no way do I own Fairy Tail or any of the characters.

* * *

**_Spirits of the Keys_**

_It is common knowledge that the spirits of the keys live in a world separate from our own, where they are able to live and thrive for indefinite amounts of time. It is only when a mage obtains a key for a certain spirit that the spirits are able to leave and form contracts with the mage, binding the pair together, and as the strength of the mage grows, the strength and ability of the spirit also increases. _

_Thus, mage and spirit are bound to one another for as long as the contract remains intact. It is important that during the duration of the contract that mage and spirit learn to respect one another, as this is essential in creating a successful relationship, and also increasing the strength of both parties. _

_It is said that the twelve keys of the Zodiac are the oldest keys in existence, and also contain some of the oldest spirits in the world. That is why the keys are so valuable, and greatly sought after; in the hands of an experienced mage the spirits of the keys can provide overwhelming power. Another convenience is that the contract between mage and spirit is exclusive, allowing the mage to call upon the spirit it at anytime. _

_As previously stated, the keys are thought to be the oldest, most valuable of all the keys in existence, and are even said to have been forged during the time of the Dragon Council (see page 445 for more details). While scholars over the years have tried to interview these spirits in an effort to gather more information, no information has been gleaned from the spirits, as they have all stated that such information is sacred and cannot be disclosed so carelessly. _

* * *

**_Origin of the Keys_**

_There have been many speculations regarding the origin of the Stellar Spirit keys. Some believe that at one point a human accidentally stumbled upon a stellar spirit, and helped it return to its world. After returning, the spirit spoke of the valiance and kindness of humans, prompting the beginning of contracts, so that humans and spirits may help one another. Other speculate that the union between the two was forged during a war against dark magic, forcing all magical beings to stand together and fight. As spirits could not stay in our environment for long, they created contracts with human mages and worked together to defeat the darkness. _

_However, there are many that do not follow any of these theories rather they turn to other downplayed legends for answers. __It was once said that the use of stellar spirits and the forging of contracts with the spirits came from an ancient art once practiced by a group of clans called 'The Council of the Dragon'. Today, no such council exists, at least not to the surface world. There has been much speculation as to which clans were linked to the council and if any of their ancestors live today. The little evidence that we have today indicates that there were twelve clans, one clan for each of the cardinal directions and for each of the holy animals of the zodiac. This points that cities in the east, particularly, Edo (_1_), as the stronghold of the council._

_This legend in particular has been the source of much speculation and controversy throughout the stellar mage community, as it does hold bits of the truth. (For more information turn to page 445)_

* * *

**_The History of the Dragon Council and Legends of the Contractors_**

_The Dragon Council was once the center of power in the East, combining the efforts of powerful spiritual mediums and mages to guide the people with a firm steady hand. Not much is actually known of the council, as many of the historical documents pertaining to that particular time period were destroyed during the Great War against the dark mages. However, we can assume that the council was very much apart of the effort in pushing back the evil forces that had once threatened us. _

_As previously stated, it is believed that the council was made up of twelve clans, each represent by a cardinal direction, animal, and one of the twelve hold virtues. It was said that each clan would rotate leadership in the year of their guardian animal. For example, if it were the year of the horse, then the clan whose animal was the horse would take over leadership for that year. Furthermore, the head of the clan as well as the heir would be able to communicate with the guardian spirit, in order to draw upon power and knowledge, which added in the leading of the council, it was especially useful in times of dire need. _

_It is believed that from this, the practice of making contracts with spirits was established. Lower clans men were also able to draw from the spirit world in a similar fashion as the head of the family, and thus were able to contact lesser spirits, and create contracts for mutual benefits. For example, a human may contract a water spirit in order to help protect the coastline border from invaders, and in return, the human may offer to help the spirit save endangered creatures or whatever else the water spirit may want to change in the human world. _

_The ones who were able to successfully forge contracts were not called mages, because at the time, magic was a restricted art, rather they were called Contractors, as they forged contracts with one or more spirits at a time. Eventually the art of contracting with spirits became more and more simplified, to what it is today._

_In recent digs at the old ruin of Edo, archeologists have actually found a scroll, depicting what seem to be a Contractor, and her epic battle against the demons that had come to destroy the city. It is clear that the woman who had been described in scroll was a legend even in her own time. While most of the scroll is too damaged to gain any further information, historians have been able to find her name, Hakumei. _

_Contracting is considered to be Lost Magic today, as only members of the families of the Dragon Council knew how to conduct the rituals that were used to summon and contract with spirits. The existence of descendants of these families today is also high speculated, as many historians believe that none of the families were able to survive the Great War. But if the were still alive, then it is most likely that they would still reside in the eastern part of the kingdom of Fiore, particularly in what used to be ancient Edo. _

* * *

All right boys and girls that should be all of the information that will come into play later on in the story. I hope that you enjoyed this little tidbit! Also everyone check out Fate vs. Coincidence. The concept for this story is very much like mine, but it also seems like the way the story precedes will be the opposite of this one. It's really good.

Anyone who can guess where Lucy goes and what she does next gets a cookie!

Truly Yours,

WeHoldTheseTruths


	3. Chapter 1

Just a little note! While the idea of a dragon council and what not has always been on my mind, a lot of the detail, like the cardinal direction thing, was taken from a book called EON. Now, it's a rather lengthy novel that's written primarily for boys, but if you're interested go and check it out! Otherwise enjoy this chapter.

* * *

It wasn't the same. It was never the same after that. Since the day she left, his whole life seemed to be turned upside down and inside out. He couldn't believe how much it shook him when he had found out she left that day, not even Lisanna could shake him from the horrible feeling that was pooled in the bottom of his stomach, the fear that plagued him ever since he was left all alone in the woods by the only parent he had ever known. That horrible, terribly dark feeling had slowly seeped its way back into his heart and settled there, making a place in the deepest recesses of his mind, never allowing him to escape.

Lucy was gone. Three long years had already passed, and she was still off on her own, doing God knows what, with some jackass who probably only liked her for her body. Natsu heaved a heavy sigh, he didn't understand why this had bothered him so much, this situation exactly the same as with Igneel, but he knew that he would find the great dragon again someday, that they would meet again. But, with Lucy it was so different. He missed everything about her, her hair, her smile, her voice, her laugh, her eyes when they twinkled with happiness or became sharp with determination, the moving words she would spin when they were in a pinch, but most of all, he missed her, her warmth, her smell, or her laughing tone whenever she would call him.

But he knew that he couldn't feel this way, that he already had Lisanna, his first love, the one he thought he would spend the rest of his life with, the one who knew him first, who made the effort to understand him. However now, now it was different. The love he once felt, it was not gone per say, but it wasn't the same, it was different from before. Now, he loved Lisanna like a friend, a sister, not a lover. And it took him all these years to realize it. Natsu sighed as he stared up at the unbearably bright blue sky, and wished; just for a moment he could see her smiling face.

* * *

Lucy hummed a charming tune as she swept her new apartment in the city of Edo that she shared with one of the many new people she had met. For a moment, the lovely blonde paused to ponder her time in the new city. She had left the guild with a purpose, one that she had a lot of difficulty fulfilling, seeing as she had been basically chasing after a myth. The first year had been fruitless, the second year she had decided to get permanent logging for the time being, and also began working part time in a bookshop to pay rent. That year she had also found a roommate, another girl her age of course, as Lucy didn't want to have to deal with male hygiene and what not. It was purely coincidental that her roommate was just the person she had been looking for all this time. Lucy then mentally face palmed herself at that thought. She was taught in her new lessons, that there is no such thing as a coincidence in this world; rather everything is cast, as fate.

"Luce! I'm back!" a voice called from the front door.

"Yeah I'm in the meditation room!" she called back continuing her job.

A few moments later, another young woman walked in. "You ready to go?" she asked looking at her roommate who was currently in sweats.

"Just gimme a couple of minutes to change and we can get ready to go!" Lucy replied as she quickly finished gathering all of the dirt and dust and disposing of it.

"Come on Luce!" Mai said impatiently from the doorway. "You know what'll happen if we're late!"

Lucy ran out of the room, past her roommate, and quickly changed before bolting out the door. She could hear Mai's laughter echo in the hall, it took literally no time at all for the other girl to catch up with her, and soon they were walking the streets of Edo to the old city hall building.

Today was the day, finally, she had completed her training, along with Mai, and the other heirs and children of the Council. Lucy could remember when she first arrived, wandering the streets, still not sure what or who she was looking for. That's when she met Mai, a traditional dancer who had been performing at a festival near by. It was pure coincidence that they had met, Mai had recognized the Fairy Tail insignia on her hand and immediately asked about it. They were instant friends after that.

"Here," Mai said, handing her a bag. "These are the ceremonial robes for today, the final adjustments just got finished. Change as soon as we get there."

Lucy nodded and directed her gaze at the large oriental building a head of her. They entered without ceremony, and quickly rushed to the inconspicuous door and headed down stairs. Lucy could remember the first time walked down these steps two years ago, after Mai took her in, and convinced the council to accept her. The same nervous excitement flowed through her now, as she made her way down the stairwell and into the large circular chamber where the twelve were waiting.

"It seems that the last of our chosen have arrived," a voice boomed as they entered the room.

The others were already standing in the middle of the room, waiting for the ceremony to begin. Lucy rushed to her place by the Kusakabe family, the ones who petitioned for her entrance into the training grounds. Mai walked to the middle, where all of the other candidates were. There were a little of thirty of them there, all children from descended from one of the original twelve clans. Age, gender, and appearance didn't matter, only their prowess and overall potential was measured when considering the next candidates for the council. Each family admitted at least two of their most promising young people to participate in the intense training that was required to even qualify as a candidate. Before mastering contracting, other magicks and martial arts had to be learned, as well as the histories of the clans, the basic principals of establishing a contract and the rule and regulations, traditional dance and ceremonies were also stressed, along with more disciplined forms of Western dance and Western studies. Everything was done in an effort to produce the best successor possible.

It was tradition that one child from each house was chosen, but there were times when one house could have more than one spot on the council, but only in the most delicate and special cases did this occur. Even so, each house set out to over power the others, all going after one main position: Dragon. To be named as the Dragon of the council would be ultimate power for that clan for the next sixty years. The competition for the title, did not encourage much infighting or clan wars, in fact it was more of a friendly competition than anything else, since all the other members, besides the Dragon were of equal status and rank.

Lucy's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of bells chiming overhead the selection ceremony had begun. The entire room was quieted, and the current council made their way down from the high balcony that surrounded the perimeter of the room. In the center, on the main floor, all the candidates huddled together, praying on last time before a new member would be hoisted into the air by their new guardian spirit, and placed in their new position as a member of the council. With eager eyes, the whole room watched as the first candidate, Kiba from the Yamato family was lifted into the air by the great horse spirit, and placed on the balcony. Next came Yuu from the Sakai clan and Ichigo from the Suzuki clan, the successors of the rat spirit and ox spirit.

It was nearly two hours later, and ten of the twelve members were already elected (1).

Successor of the Rat and the North: Sakai Yuu.

Successor of the Ox and the North East: Suzuki Ichigo.

Successor of the Hare and the East: Ito Kimiko.

Successor of the Snake and the South East: Rin Kenji.

Successor of the Horse and the South: Yamato Kiba.

Successor of the Sheep and the South West: Maeda Kyo

Successor of the Monkey and the South West: Chikafuji Chizuru

Successor of the Rooster and the West: Endo Mari

Successor of the Dog and the North West: Aoki Yuki

Successor of the Boar and the North West: Nakayama Tora

Those candidates whose house was already selected were now seated with their families, waiting patiently for the last two houses to be named, the Tiger and successor of the North East, and most importantly, the Dragon and successor of the South West. Mai stood in the middle of the room, looking tired from the kneeling position she had been in for the last couple of hours, along with the other boys from the Hara clan Kai, Kazu, and Kano (2). Slowly, Lucy watched as the three boys opened their eyes and looked at each other before standing and hugging one another. Kano and Kazu slowly turned and sat with their family as Kai ascended to his place. Mid ascent, Mai stood as well, and was lifted into the air, and for a moment the two hung there, at the same height before being placed in their seats. Kai looked content as he settled into his new seat as the successor of the Tiger, and watched Mai land softly in her place as the new Dragon. Cheers erupted from all sides in the room, as the newly elected council stood and presented them, the new order was set, and soon it would be time for the next generation to take over.

Lucy smiled as she looked up at the twelve guardian spirits that hovered just slightly above their new charges. She was the only one who could see them, besides the council members. When she had asked Mai why she was able to, her friend had shrugged and replied "It's not surprising, your entire attitude toward spirits and upholding your contracts makes you noble and kind, the guardians see that and have made you special in their eyes."

* * *

It was hours later before Lucy had been able to get to talk to Mai again; she had spent most of that time with the three Ks. They were the next group of people she had met in Edo after Mai, and she was shocked by how similar they all looked, it was hard to believe that they were not triplets. Kano, the eldest, was nineteen when they first meet, and like his brother had long jet-black hair, and piercing grey eyes. He was attractive more built than his younger siblings, and slightly taller, out of all of them Kano was the most serious and responsible, but could still have fun and relax. Kazu, the middle brother was eighteen when he and Lucy met. Like Kano, he had a good build, slightly leaner than his elder brother, and is the shortest brother, though not by much. Kazu is probably the smartest out of the three, as he had to learn how to work around his lack of power and use everything else to his advantage. Lastly, there was Kai, who is the same ago as Lucy. He looked so much like his older brothers, leanly built, tall, and by far the strongest when it came to magic, and was always the quickest to learn new techniques. The three of them were almost like her safety blanket when Mai wasn't present. Lucy was well aware that many of the clans didn't approve of her still, that they believed she was nothing more than an outsider stealing the secrets of their clans and techniques, but it didn't feel that way when she was around them, to the three brothers, she was just another girl.

Mai came around to their table toward the end of the dinner portion of the celebration, plopping down beside the pretty blonde and sighing as Kai poured her a cup of tea.

"So how does it feel?" Kai asked as he handed her the cup.

"How does what feel?" she replied taking a sip before popping one of the sakura mochi that were delicately arranged on the table, into her mouth.

"To be the Dragon!" Kano pushed, moving the plate of sweets away from her.

"It feels the same as I was yesterday," she replied with a shrug, "Except now I can do this."

Mai's eyes met dead on with Kano's, and for a moment, time seemed to be at a standstill.

"Give." Mai commanded, and suddenly the plate was before her again, and time and resumed to its usual pace.

Lucy recognized that voice, it was the voice contractors used with forging contracts, a voice laced with and undeniable authority and persuasion that none could resist, Kotodama. The power of words was an art that all contractors had to master in their training, especially those who are trained as candidates. But Kano had always had the upper hand in Kotodama, as he was much more talented than most in the art, while Mai was average among every other candidate.

Kano nodded, "Impressive."

Mai smiled as she happily munched on the rest of the mochi her the plate. "I'm looking forward to sometime off," she began. "I'm happy we won't be active until the New Year."

Lucy looked up in surprise. The year had just turned, and it was now the year of the Hare (3). "Why was the new council elected so early on then?" she asked.

"Traditionally, we're elected early in order to learn about the new responsibilities we have, but because the training and educational regiment of the today's candidates is so rigorous it isn't really needed. So the new council is given the year off in order to recharge and be refreshed before active duty," Kai answered.

Lucy nodded, making a mental note to be sure to read up more on the council later. She pondered for a moment the idea of an entire year off of training. That was a lot of time to do whatever they wanted. What were they supposed to do?

"So do you have any plans then?" the blonde asked refilling her teacup.

Mai looked up at her, eyes glittering, a laughing tugging at the edge of her mouth. "Of course you silly girl. We're going on tour. First stop, the west and Magnolia."

* * *

1. Like I said before each animal has a cardinal direction, some share directions because of the 8 Buddhist principals that are also associated with the zodiac.

2. I made them all Ka on purpose. And they are brothers. There's actually one more, but he comes in later, depending on if I need him or not.

3. It is currently the year of the Tiger, but I skipped ahead one year to the year of the Hare, so that there would truly be a whole year of Mai and Lucy traveling around and what not.

Sorry it's come so late folks, or if it's confusing. I plan on fixing some stuff up later so stay tuned for that. UM. I'll have more time after December, so that's when I'm expected to update again. HOPEFULLY! It'll be a lot sooner than that. But I'm still super busy trying to sort out school and getting my financial aid stuff taken care of. So please be patient!

Also! One of my best friends, Mike, is an aspiring director/graphic designer; it would mean the world if you checked out his youtube or tumblr pages, the user name is mkealcoran. Please support! You might even see some pictures of me here and there :].

Truly Yours,

WeHoldTheseTruths


	4. Chapter 2

I'm back! Yeah, I actually am super busy at the moment there's a lot of stuff that I have to do for the new semester. POO. But after I'm finished I'll have more time to write! I'm currently listening to a lot of Korean Pop stuff. Like 2NE1 and Big Bang. If anyone has any good music suggestions don't hesitate to leave me a message or comment!

* * *

"Magnolia!" Lucy exclaimed, nearly choking on the tea she was sipping on a moment ago.

"Why not? You talk about what a nice place it is and everything, and how they have the rainbow colored cherry blossoms and everything. And we've never been out West before," Mai replied as she reached for another sweet.

"We?" Lucy asked skeptically.

"Kai, Kano, and I are going too."

"And you Kazu?"

Kazu looked away sheepishly, blushing slightly.

"Ah, he's going to stay to spend sometime with his new fiancé," Kai replied grinning, teasingly nudging his brother.

"Shut up!" Kazu said shoving him in return.

"Fiancé?" Lucy asked, surprised.

"It isn't official or anything," Kazu said hastily "It's something that our families had decided a couple of months ago. We we're waiting until after the ceremony to announce it."

"Well who is it?" Lucy persisted.

"Endo Mari," he replied looking toward his fiancé's table, smiling softly as he watched her talk animatedly to one of her clan members.

"EH?" Lucy exclaimed, also looking in that direction.

"Our whole marriage would be based on whether or not I would succeed as one of the council members. If I had we probably wouldn't be able to marry."

It was a rule that council members could not marry one another, as it would be taken as an attempt by clans to have an unfair advantage over one another. This was why many of the marriages that might take place during the year are announced after the ceremony, so that any engagements that might present complications maybe cancelled. Lucy had learned, however, that this rule didn't stop many of the successors and other young people from having relationships with one another, even though they might present some problems in the future.

"Well congratulations!" Lucy said, raising her cup to him before taking a sip. Kazu nodded in acknowledgement, and continued to look sheepishly at the ground.

"Anyways!" Mai said, snapping the attention back to the subject at hand. "We're going to Magnolia whether you like it or not."

Lucy gulped down the rest of the tea and stared into her empty cup. She didn't want to go. More like, she was scared to go back. She had no idea what she would find. Perhaps a marriage between Natsu and Lisanna, or maybe some other relationship had developed between him and another woman? Maybe everyone at the guild had already forgotten her; maybe she was no longer important to them. Maybe they would hate her for leaving without saying a single thing, for only speaking to the Master. Maybe they would be angry because she never bothered to send letters or visit, or maybe they would be angry because she didn't go to the Master's funeral. There were so many things that could happen or could have happened, and she hated to think about all of it. The changes that could have been made terrified her to no end. Her apartment was still vacant she was sure, after all she continued to send the rent to the owner. That place was possibly the only place that hadn't changed during her absence.

"Lucy!" Mai called, bringing her out of her trance.

"I can't go back," she said quickly, reaching for the teapot to refill her cup. Kano, who was closest to it, got it first and poured her a cup.

"And why not? I want to see Fairy Tail and all the people you told us about," Kai whined, pouting like a child.

"I just can't." She didn't want to talk about it anymore, not now. There was still so much about her past there that she would have to confront if they were to go and visit, mainly the issue with Natsu. Then there was Erza, who wouldn't be happy since she had left without saying anything to her. She shivered at the thought of having to face the wrath of Titania.

"Alright then," Mai said, suddenly turning rather nonchalant. "You stay, with only Kazu and his fiancé to keep you company. I hope that you enjoy third wheeling."

Lucy flinched, not wanting to be the third wheel. She sighed, resenting the fact that she hadn't made as many friends as she had hoped here. "Fine. I'll go with you."

Mai grinned and Kai whooped with excitement. Kano glanced over and gave her a sympathetic pat on the back, acknowledging what she must be going through at the moment. Lucy sighed again, wishing that she hadn't said anything about her past, and that she had at least taken the effort to hide her insignia before coming to the city. She could only sit and dread the upcoming days of travel to her former home, and hope for the best.

* * *

Natsu glared up at the sky through the large windows of the guild, as the rain struck the earth and the thunder resounded through the sky. Oh how he hated the rain.

There was never anything that he could really do in when the weather was like this. Since Happy preferred not to fly or go out in general during storms, he was stuck inside, doing nothing but sitting, when he would much rather be outside doing something, like a mission. But, alas, the weather was to harsh for anyone to go out in, and he remained stuck, inside the guild until the storm cleared up.

Gray and Happy were dozing off in a corner, Erza gone as usual, Wendy and Charle were talking animatedly with Lisanna about some new movie, and Gajeel was with Levy in a corner doing God knows what. There was no one to entertain him, nothing to do. He sighed and rested his head on the table. If Lucy were here, she would do something with him. He flinched at the thought. If only she was here.

It had been three years already; three long, suffocating, torturous years. He had re-read the not that she left him so many times that he memorized the words, clinging to them, as an act of desperation, hoping, praying that she would come back and he would be able to apologize to her. But, that day had yet to come, and he was stuck in the guild waiting until then.

It killed him, really, the waiting. He hated it. After all, he had never been that patient to begin with. He normally chose to take action, like with finding Igneel. Rather than waiting for Igneel to come back he decided to go out and find him all by himself. Well, and Happy of course. He never thought things through he simply went for it. And look where that got him. Natsu really had no one else to blame but himself for the situation that he was currently in. He had been too oblivious to Lucy's feelings, and jumped back into an old relationship without a second thought. He sighed again. Now he was feeling more depressed and stupid.

Natsu stood up and walked down the library, not that anyone really noticed. Once he was down there he began looking through the selection of books. There were all kinds, mostly on different types of magic, the history of magic, and great mages throughout history. Once in a while though, Natsu would be able to find books pertaining to the magical creatures of the land, those were the books that interested him. Apart from reading manga, these were the only books he chose to read, other wise reading made him sleepy and bored. He stopped browsing for a moment to ponder the reason why he started coming down here in the first place. It was after Lucy had left, and he knew how much she loved to read. Maybe that's why he ventured into unknown territory. This place was the only connection he had left to her. After all, he couldn't go into her apartment anymore, not when it was all locked up and all of that. And it didn't feel right without her there, screaming and him and Happy to go to their own place instead of invading her house.

He shook his head from the depressing thoughts and continued to browse the selection of books in the vast place. He finally found one that was about creatures that were mythological even in their world. Giant creatures, bigger than dragons, the rulers of the earth before man was evolved enough to take over. These creatures were gods in their own right, and were said the have disappeared once they were no longer needed. '_Just like the dragons.'_ Natsu thought as he turned to the first chapter. Instead of dwelling on any more heart breaking thoughts, he turned his attention to the book, and allowed himself to become lost in its pages, even only for a moment.

* * *

It was three days after the celebration, and the four of them had packed their bags and boarded the next train to Magnolia. Lucy was apprehensive. She wasn't sure what she should do about the guild, or meeting any of her old teammates. She had promised that she would be back, though, she was starting to regret that promise. Mai eyed her carefully, turning away from the book she had in front of her.

"You need to relax," she said, marking her page and closing the book.

"I am relaxed," Lucy replied, trying to make herself seem calmer than she really was.

Mai rolled her eyes and shifted so that she was facing toward her friend. "Your shoulders are tensed, and your eyebrow is creased. You're sitting unusually straight and rigid, and the fact that you're just sitting there out the window shows that you're completely off somewhere else."

Lucy sat for a moment to process all the information. She was more tense and nervous than she had thought. And she wasn't even doing a good job of concealing it.

"Relax," Mai said again. "We're going to be going there with you remember? So even if you feel out of place you'll have us."

"Yeah." Lucy answered looking down into her hands. She was grateful for the fact that her friends were going with her now, and that they forced this trip on her. Without it she probably wouldn't have gone home herself, ever. Lucy silently observed her travel mates as they continued on with their previous tasks, detaching themselves from the previous interruption, so that Lucy could have time to herself. Her new group reminded her of her old team. There was Mai, strong and courageous just like Erza (though not as menacing), Kano, cool and collected, but still fun and flexible like Gray (but he kept his clothes on), and Kai, energetic, rebellious, always jumping head first into situations, just like Natsu.

She cringed at the thought of him. He was, after all, the main reason she didn't want to go back. He had hurt her before, in ways that he didn't even know, nor comprehend. Truthfully, she was more scared to see what she might find when she got back. Would he and Lisanna be married by now? Living together? Or maybe engaged. Maybe the wedding would be the week that they would be staying there, and she would be forced to witness it. Of course, there was also an alternate option, however she didn't allow herself to even consider it. No, considering it would give her hope, and she wasn't ready for it to be crushed yet again.

It was hard to imagine what the guild was like now, three years was enough to change everything. She still wasn't sure if she would be welcomed back with open arms, or shoved aside and forgotten. Though it was hard to imagine them shoving anyone aside. But she had abandoned them, without little cause or notice. And that would surely hurt their feelings. She felt the train begin to slow down as they approached the station, before it eventually came to a stop. Mai tapped her shoulder and motioned for her to get up so they could leave the train. As they exited, Lucy took in the familiar scenery, she had been to this station hundreds of times, for all sorts of missions, and when she came back home from them, but never had she felt this nervous stepping onto that familiar platform. It was then that it occurred to her that she might run into someone leaving on a mission from the guild, and her nervousness and fear reached an all time high. She nervously maneuvered her way, leading her companions through the crowd with their luggage in tow, praying that they wouldn't see anyone. And when they finally reached the outside, she saw that the familiar streets were covered in puddles, the light reflecting off them making the world around her seem to sparkle. For that moment, she felt relief, to have stepped foot into a familiar town, her true home.

"There was a storm," Mai said. "But it seems to have passed."

Lucy simply nodded and led them down the familiar route to her old apartment. A few minutes later they stood there, gazing up at the modest building. Lucy slowly made her way up the steps, and opened the door for the first time in years. The moment the door had swung open, the memories came rushing back. She could almost picture it, the old team sitting around her table; she was chasing Natsu and Happy, while Gray and Erza laughed at them. Tears fell from her eyes before she knew it. She was feeling so many conflicting emotions at the moment, that she wasn't sure what to do with herself.

"Lucy," Mai's voice snapped her back to reality. "The guys are going to their hotel now, do you want me to stay here with you?"

Lucy simply nodded meekly, and the two brothers continued down the road to the hotel that was only half a block away. Mai carried her suitcase inside, and wrapped an arm around her friend. She could understand what she was feeling, the fear, the happiness, the sadness, and the anger. It was all swirling and conflicting emotions, and it was a burden on the body and soul.

"You're going to be okay Lucy. You know that you wanted to come back here eventually. Fairy Tail is your home," Mai murmured as they stood in the doorway. Lucy nodded, wiping away her tears.

"Well, I guess we should get settled then," the young blonde said and smiled.

* * *

Natsu's head snapped up in an instant. Now that the rain was gone, he could smell all the different scents wafting in from the street. There was one that was eerily familiar, and comforting. The smell of flowers, sunshine, and vanilla. It was unmistakable. Lucy. He stood up immediately, disrupting the peaceful talk that his table was having at the moment. Everyone looked at him, wondering what the hell was happening.

"Oi, sit down hot head," Gray said, feeling irritated that his story was interrupted.

"She's here," Natsu mumbled, ignoring the ice mage.

"Ah?" Gray grunted.

"She's here!" Natsu said louder, more confidently and bounded off toward the exit.

"Natsu!" Lisanna shouted and took off after him, quickly followed by Happy. Erza and Gray shared a look and then turned to Levy, for a moment the three sat there to process before getting up to join the chase.

The whole group began barreling down the streets of Magnolia toward a place they hadn't been in ages, with Natsu leading the way. There was little chance that she really was there, after all if she was coming back she would have called or something wouldn't she? But, no one could nor would they want to doubt Natsu's sense of smell, and they continued toward the long vacant apartment.

Natsu and Happy arrived a few moments before the rest of the group did, and stood there. There was no mistake, she was in there. He slowly walked toward the window, and he saw her in an instant. She stood there, in all of her beautiful glory, talking cheerfully with another girl he didn't know. She smiled and laughed, just like the old Lucy. For a moment he felt like crying. It had been so long. Three years too long.

"Natsu!" Lisanna shouted as the rest of them had caught up. The others too caught sight of Lucy. In that moment, they heard something clatter inside the apartment, and the door swung open.

A breathless Lucy appeared and stepped down onto the street, staring at them all, quickly followed by the brown haired girl he didn't know.

For a moment their eyes locked. And they stared at one another, their gazes never wavering.

"Natsu?"

* * *

Yay! Cliffhangers are so awesome! So, there are have been a lot of people asking for updates, saying that it's past December and stuff. But I did warn you all that I wouldn't have a lot of time, and that the EARLIEST I would be able to post would have been December. I want you all to please understand that this is the busiest year of my high school career, and that I won't have a lot of time to dedicate to writing, especially since I always have papers, projects, and things like that to do. For the next two or three months I'm really not sure if I'll be able to update because AP testing is coming up and everything. But, after May I'll be able to have more time, since I'm basically done learning for the year. So sit tight and thanks for sticking with me! Here's a teaser as a reward!

* * *

"NO STOP STAY AWAY!"

"Who the hell are you to speak for her, you bastard?"

"Don't even think about it."

* * *

Truly Yours,

WeHoldTheseTruths


	5. Chapter 3

"Natsu?" Her voice resonated through his entire being. It was almost as if he just seeing her for the first time. Her hair was much longer now, as it tumbled down her back, and had become lighter, looking like pale gold, shining in the sunlight. She looked more nature, she had lost the little baby fat she had on her cheeks, and she was slimmer too, though her body was still as gorgeous as ever. He was utterly mesmerized by her. She was so beautiful. Even more so that he remembered.

"Why are you here?" she asked, catching his attention. She looked scared, and almost sick.

"Luce," he began to take a step toward her, but she took a step back in fear.

"No," she whispered, shutting her eyes.

"Lucy, what-" Natsu stepped closer, this time reaching out to her. But she still backed away, flinching away from him.

"NO! STOP! STAY AWAY!" She shouted, falling into a crouching position. She clutched her head and started sobbing. The brown haired girl fell beside her, and wrapped her arms around Lucy.

"I think it's best that you go," she said in a quiet, gentle voice. "She isn't ready to see you all just yet. I'm sorry."

"Natsu stood there, looking at the girl her loved, cry because she had simply seen him. She was crying because of him, she was scared of him.

"We understand," Levy said. Gray and Erza both placed a hand on his shoulder, and pulled him away from the scene. Happy reluctantly followed his team, turning away from Lucy. Natsu couldn't believe what was happening. He didn't understand it. He couldn't even comprehend why all of this was happening. Their reunion was supposed to be happy, he would tell her everything that he had felt over the past three years and they would be together, finally. But she was scared of him. He was so shocked, he didn't even notice when they arrived back at the guild, and Lisanna wrapped her arms around him to comfort him.

* * *

What was happening?

* * *

"Lucy, we have to get inside, we're causing a scene," Mai said gently. She felt herself being lifted up, and slowly walking up the stairs to her apartment. She could vaguely hear Mai's voice, as she whispered words of encouragement and comfort to her. As soon as she was seated on the couch, Mai disappeared for a few moments, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Why, why did he know she was here already? She hadn't said anything to any one in Magnolia, and all of a sudden he and the rest of her friends were outside her front door. And worst of all he brought her with him. Lisanna had been standing there, watching the whole scene. Lucy could have sworn she had seen a small smile appear on her face as soon as Lucy rejected Natsu. And she knew why. After Lisanna, Lucy was the probably the next closest girl friend he ever had. And now that she was scared of him, Lisanna was the only one left for him to turn too.

"Here," Mai said, placing a cup of tea on the coffee table in front of her. "I didn't expect you to freak out this much."

Lucy simply stared at the coffee mug, watching the steam waft into the air and dissipate. She was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to reply.

"Lucy, look at me." She said, taking a seat beside her friend. When Lucy turned to look at her she continued. " You're stronger than this, I know you are. And I also know that you weren't ready to meet him yet. Believe me, I was shocked too when I saw all of those people come to see you a few minutes after we arrived."

Lucy looked shocked for a moment, before opening her mouth to speak. "You didn't tell anyone we were coming?"

Mai gave her a confused look and shook her head. "No, I don't know any one from here besides you."

Lucy looked back down staring at her hands. She racked her mind for some answers. Then she remembered Natsu's freakish sense of smell and sighed. She didn't think that he would remember what she smelled like after all this time. Much less expect him to pick it up right away.

* * *

"Lucy," Mai called. She was concerned to say the least. Lucy wasn't emotionally ready to confront Natsu and her other friends yet. It was easy to see why too. Lucy had been heart broken by her best friend and love, then after leaving and not writing, she didn't know what to expect anymore. That fear was enough to drive anyone insane. Mai sighed, trying to think of something to say or do. There was always _that _story, but Mai was not up to tell Lucy anything about what had happened in the past. After all, she didn't need to hear a tragic ending on top of everything else. Mai watched as Lucy curl into her sofa and clutch her pillow. She sighed, as the blonde was absorbed into her own world. Nothing she could do or say would work now. Then, a knock sounded at the front door, and Mai got up to answer it. She found the two brothers looking concerned at the door. She quickly stepped aside and pointed at Lucy who was still sitting, curled up in the fetal position. Kano frowned and immediately went to go and sit next to her, slipping an arm around her, and murmuring comforting words. Kai stood there angrily as he watched his blond friend hurt.

"We heard some people talking about what happened outside. I can't believe he had the nerve to come here after what he did to her," he said angrily, speaking quietly enough so that Lucy couldn't hear him.

"It's possible that he doesn't even know what he did," Mai reasoned, "After all, Lucy did say that he was rather dense and clueless."

"He has to be an idiot to not see how much he meant to her!" the whispering grew harsher and more heated. Kai made a move out the still open door, and made his way down the steps.

"Kai! Where do you think you're going?" Mai said as she followed him out the door.

"Where else?" he called over his shoulder. "To talk to that idiot and tell him to stay the hell away from Lucy."

Mai panicked upon hearing this and ran into the street after him, grabbing his arm. "You can't! You know that would only make things worse. Besides, she came here to see them and to be with them again. Fairy Tail is her home, don't ruin it for her!"

Kai whipped around angrily. "He's the one who's going to ruin it for her! It's better that we stop him before he makes things worse."

Kai broke from her grip and sprinted down the street, toward the massive guild. Mai ran back inside the apartment and looked at Kano who had heard everything. He simply nodded, signaling her to go after his hotheaded little brother. She smiled gratefully and raced off after him.

* * *

The last thing that Natsu had been anticipated was a fight, especially one with a stranger. So when a man he didn't know burst into the guild, demanding to know where Natsu was, he was surprised to say the least. Man, there was just so much happening at the moment, and it was so confusing and frustrating. Natsu walked up to the attractive fellow, who strangely enough smelled a bit like Lucy, and more like the other girl Lucy had been with.

"You know Lucy?" Natsu asked upon this realization.

"She's the reason why I'm here," he spat, looking very irritated.

"Oh yeah?" Natsu retorted, not liking his tone.

"Stay the hell away from her. She doesn't want to see you, ever," the tall man said vehemently.

"Bastard, who the hell are you to speak for her?" Natsu roared, infuriated.

"You saw what you did to her, so just stay the hell out of her life. You've done enough to ruin it already." By this time, the rest of the guild had gathered around them, tense by the situation. Gray and Erza were on stand by in case something was to happen.

Natsu was fairly certain that in this situation, he could take this guy on. He didn't look weak, but he didn't look strong either. Natsu's fists clenched, as he thought of what happened just a few moments with Lucy. He became even angrier at the thought of this man, who he didn't even know barging into his guild, making accusations for no real rhyme or reason. There was a fiery rage that ignited in him, and he raised his fists. The other guy was ready though. It looked as if he had summoned a single sword to fend off Natsu's powerful physical attacks, and Natsu laughed at his pathetic attempt to defend himself.

"I'll snap that sword like a twig," he growled and charged a head, the other guy quickly following suit.

"KAI!" A voice bellowed through the guild, and suddenly a very feminine figure stood between Natsu and the other guy, who was apparently called Kai. She stared both of them down, two swords in her grasp, one pointed at him, and the other pointed at Kai. "Don't even think about it." She whispered loud enough for only the two of them to hear. Natsu watched as Kai lowered his weapon reluctantly, and backed off. Natsu followed suit, not understanding what was happening.

The one who had interfered was the brown haired girl that had been with Lucy, and she glanced at Natsu with what seemed to be mixed emotions. "Leave Kai," she ordered, "Go back to Kano and stay there until I get back."

Kai growled, but followed his orders and left the guild, quietly seething. The brunette turned to the rest of the guild and bowed deeply. "I'm so sorry for that," she said sincerely. "I tried to stop him, but I got a bit lost while I was on the way here, or else I would have been here sooner."

She stood up straight again and held her hand out to Natsu and smiled gently. "My name is Mai, I'm one of the people that Lucy met on her travels in the East. I'm also her roommate in Edo."

Natsu shook it, feeling bewildered still. Gray and Erza stepped forward, and once again, Mai offered her hand to the both of them.

"You are all owed an explanation as to what's happening," Mai said. "If you don't mind I'd like to explain the situation now."

Erza nodded and lead them toward a table, where Lisanna, Levy, Happy, and Juvia sat. Mai took a seat at the center of the table, and waited for the guild to quiet down before she started her story. "Lucy came to Edo three years ago, looking to get stronger. About a year after she came to the city, I met her and offered her a more permanent place to stay. We've been good friends ever since.

Lucy told me a lot about all of you, and what life was like at the guild. All of it was quite exciting and happy, and she lit up when she spoke of you. I hope that you don't misunderstand what had happened early today. She's just scared. You see, since she left without saying anything, she wasn't sure how you all felt about her, and she wasn't sure how much the guild had changed. So she was scared to come back. That's the main reason why she didn't contact anyone about her return. So when you came to her door, Natsu-san, she was utterly shocked, and unprepared," Mai explained. She paused for a moment, as it looked like she was contemplating her next move. "There is another reason why so was so anxious." She hesitated. "Natsu-san, she doesn't exactly wish to see you at the moment." Mai looked straight at him, her deep brown eyes piercing through him. "She left because of something that had happened between you two. She isn't ready to face you yet. So I'm asking if you would keep your distance for a while."

Natsu was speechless. He didn't know what he had done to make Lucy hate him so much. He didn't understand. Erza and Gray glanced at one another before Erza asked, "What about the rest of us? Will she see us?"

Mai sat for moment, thinking. "I'm not sure. She's still pretty shaken up about what happened earlier. You're going to have to give it a couple of days so she calms down. But, I know that she wants to see all of you." Mai looked again at Natsu, showing him that she truly meant everyone that was there. "She's not ready yet, and I hope that you understand."

Erza nodded in understanding. "When you get back to her, will you deliver her a message for us?"

Mai nodded. "Of course."

"Tell her, that we never stopped waiting for her to come back. She's our precious nakama."

Mai smiled, and stood up. "I will, I promise. I should be taking my leave now. Again, I'm sorry for what happened with Kai." She bowed deeply and quietly exited the guild. As soon as she was gone, the entire building began to buzz with chatter over what they had heard. Natsu simply sat there, still stunned by what he had just heard. Lucy hated him. What had he done?

* * *

"Kai, you are a complete and utter idiot, I should have your position revoked!" Mai yelled as soon as she reached in the apartment. Lucy had been moved to the hotel room that Kano and Kai were staying in, so that she could get away from the things that reminded her of Fairy Tail. Kano had returned to the apartment as soon as Lucy had fallen asleep. Together, the three of them sat in the apartment, talking about what happened at the guild.

"I'm not going to apologize," Kai shouted back. "That bastard deserves it after what he did, and for not knowing."

"It doesn't matter! This is Lucy's life, not ours! We don't interfere unless she asks us to! You have to learn to handle situations more rationally," Mai said her eyes closed, fingers nimbly rubbing her temples in frustration.

"Tch." Kai said, sitting back angrily. Kano sighed and hit his brother up side the head.

"She's right." He said standing to sit with Mai at the table. He motioned for her to lean back so he could take over. "You're not only a council member now, you're Lucy's friend. You should consider he feelings in these situations."

"You're both out to get me," Kai pouted, feeling annoyed by their actions.

Mai suddenly stood up and walked to the couch, touching Kai's shoulder. "I know you're upset with what happened three years ago, but this is completely different. Do you understand?"

Kai nodded stiffly, and sighed. "I'm sorry."

Mai smiled and patted his check. "Relax. In a couple of days, this will all boil over and you can go apologize to them formally."

Kai groaned, dreading the thought of having to go into the guild again. "Do I have to?"

"Yes." There was no room to retort. "Now, go check on Lucy."

Kano and Mai waited until he was gone before they started to talk again. Kano stared at Mai, before Mai finally broke. "What?"

"Is this really okay?"

"Is what okay?"

"You love Kai don't you?"

Mai looked surprised, but then a somber smile crossed her features. "No, not anymore."

* * *

OH! I finished another chapter! It kind of just wrote itself. That and I've had a bit more time on my hands now. My workload last week was ridiculous! Seriously. Anyway, I will be getting busy again, very soon. I can guarantee it. So please, don't leave me reviews asking me to update soon and all of that. I already stated that I really dislike getting reviews like that because I feel bad when I can't comply with my reader's requests. But I hope that you like this chapter! It has more focus on the OC's and I hope that's okay. Rest assured that there will be more Lucy and Natsu interaction in the up coming chapters! Also, I got more than 1k in hits, and thanks for that! But please, remember read and review!

Truly Yours,

WeHoldTheseTruths


	6. Chapter 4

Hey guys! I'm sorry that it took so long to get this chapter out. The last couple of months in school were a lot more hectic than I had initially thought they would be. I had projects and finals and senior/college things to worry about. AND I had graduation. :] I will officially be a college freshmen next school year. I'm going to try and push out chapters more efficiently and quickly. However, that is no guarantee because I may get a job. BUT I will still try my best. Thanks to for all the love and support!

P.S. I'm really getting into DIY fashion and indie/boho fashion. If anyone knows any good DIY sites or blogs please let me know! I would appreciate it. You may even get a reward. ;] And I'm sorry that this chapter is more OC centric, it help ties in with the main villian and stuff in this story.

* * *

She was engulfed in the darkness, standing alone. There was nothing, or no one. And she stood, waiting, searching for someone to come and find her.

_Suddenly, the darkness began to move around her, swirl into twisted shapes and illusions. She felt scared, unable to move. But this was a dream; it was supposed to be just a dream. If this was her dream, then she should be able to control it. She willed herself to think of the light, the sun and the moon. Of her friends and family. Of the people she loved. But nothing worked. The darkness remained and bean to engulf her. She felt panic rise up, and she willed herself to wake, but nothing worked. As she sunk deeper into the shadows, she at least heard a voice, an evil, terrible voice._

'_I found you at last,' it said in a whisper. 'It won't be long now, Mai.'_

Mai woke with a startling scream, cold sweat dripping from her forehead. She shot up from the bed, and clutched herself, drawing the covers tighter around her. He couldn't have found her; he shouldn't have been able to find her. She shut her eyes, the feeling of panic and dread engulfed her. It was a few seconds later that she heard footfalls coming closer and closer. No one should have been there. She had sent the two boys back to the hotel to keep Lucy company while she recovered. She tensed and gathered her will power. Then she felt a hand touch her shoulder and her eyes snapped open, as she violently flipped then pinned her assailant.

"OI!" A voice, unlike the one from her dream called out.

Mai looked down at the man she had flipped, startled. It was the dark haired man from the guild, one of Lucy's friends. She quickly got up and held a hand out to help him up.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't expect anyone else to be here," she apologized.

"Where's Lucy?" Grey asked, taking her hand and pulling himself up.

"At the hotel where Kai and Kano are staying. We felt that she might rest easier in a place where there isn't so much to remind her of the past," Mai then added quickly. "She's just in a painful place now, I'm sure it doesn't affect how she feels for anyone of you."

Grey smiled sadly. "I understand. But why are you here alone?"

"There's only two beds," she explained. "I wanted Lucy to have a good rest before she went to see you." Mai moved to sit on the bed and motioned for him to join her. "Why are you here?"

"I have something for Lucy," he explained. "She left it behind at the guild before she left, I thought that she might want it back." He handed her a worn leather bound notebook. It was filled with all kinds of notes and stories, almost like a journal or a diary. Mai spent some time flipping through it, looking at the pictures she drew, reading bits of the entries. Grey watched the young woman carefully. She wasn't normal, he knew. He knew she was probably a mage, though what kind he wasn't sure. She was probably trained in the martial arts, probably another woman like Erza, with a similar magic. After a while he broke the silence that had settled around them. "Are you okay?"

Mai looked at him hesitantly. She had to give him some sort of explanation, but she didn't know what to say. She quickly turned away, and focused her attention onto the pages of the notebook. "I had a bad dream, that's all."

The ice mage eyed her skeptically. "That's all?"

Mai smiled nervously, "Yes. It was just a dream."

Grey smiled gently and changed the subject. "So, what brings you here?"

Mai looked back up at him curiously and gave a small smile before answering him. _That's right it was just a dream. There's no way it could have been real._

* * *

Lucy woke from her sleep feeling heavy and groggy. She slowly sat up, trying to remember where she was and why nothing around her seemed to be familiar. Then, she suddenly remembered what had happened yesterday, who she had seen yesterday. She felt herself tremble slightly at the memory.

"Lucy?" Kai whispered quietly. She turned to face him and he smiled. "You're awake, that's good. We're getting ready to head back to your apartment."

Lucy simply nodded and moved out of her bed to the bathroom. She stared at her pale and lifeless reflection in the mirror and frowned. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She wasn't supposed to be scared and wimpy. She was supposed to be strong and happy. That's the way she had always been. She looked at herself angrily and brought both hands to her face and slapped herself. She was going to change.

Nearly twenty minutes later, Lucy and the two brothers were on their way back to her apartment. Kai was chatting eagerly about seeing the sakura festival later that week while Kano continued to walk on silently.

"Where's Mai?" She asked.

"At your apartment. She didn't want to disturb you by sharing a bed with you or make one of us sleep on the floor," Kano answered. He continued to look straight ahead, as if he could only concentrate on getting to their destination. Kano was always a mystery to Lucy. He was quiet and aloof most of the time, but when push came to shove he would never fail to pull through. He was overly kind, though not in an obvious way. Kano liked to do little things to make people happy, especially Mai. He always went out of his way to do something for her. For instance, once Mai had been talking about getting some special plum wine mochi (1) from a shop across town, but never found the time to do so. The next day Kano delivered a package to their apartment and inside was half a dozen plum wine mochi. She always assumed that it was because they were childhood friends, but now she could see it was more than that. He probably loved her.

* * *

It was ten minutes later that they arrived at her apartment, where they heard loud laughter coming from within. The two brothers looked at each other confused, and tensed as they moved to open the door. Before either one could turn the handle, the door swung open to reveal Mai, in an apron holding a pan.

"Lucy! Welcome home." She smiled and ushered them inside. "I know that you probably don't want to see anyone now, but a friend of yours dropped by to give you something."

She moved aside and revealed Grey sitting at her table drinking a cup of tea. He saw her and smiled and immediately walked over to give her a hug.

"I'm sorry for coming on such short notice, but I have something that you might want," he handed her the notebook and smiled again. "You left it at the guild and we never got the chance to return it."

Lucy gingerly opened the notebook and smiled at the pages. It was the journal where she recorded all of her ideas for her novel and wrote down all of the adventures that she had with the team. There were several underlined dates, pictures, posters, and other papers that had been folded and tucked inside the notebook. All of her memories from years past compacted into one weathered leather bound notebook.

"Thank you Grey."

He smiled and turned to face the two brothers. "I'm Grey, one of Lucy's friends from the guild."

He held out his hand and Kai and Kano took turns shaking it.

"I'm Kai and this is my brother Kano, we're friends of Lucy's from Edo." Kai said, looking at him with suspicion. "Why are you here so early?"

"He came here thinking that Lucy would be here a couple of hours ago," Mai explained. "He kept me company while we waited for you. He was just telling me about some of the missions that you went on before you left."

"So you two have been talking this entire time?" Kai asked suspiciously.

Mai nodded and motioned for them to sit. "Relax, just sit and have a cup of tea. I'm in the middle of making breakfast right now." Mai turned and went back into the kitchen, then returned with a tray that held a pot of tea and cups and set it on the table before going back into the kitchen to finish making breakfast.

Lucy carefully poured the tea and handed everyone a cup before the room settled in an awkward silence, well silent aside from the humming that could be heard from the kitchen. They stayed that way for several moments, simply sipping tea. Finally, Grey broke the ice, asking about Lucy and what she had been up to. It wasn't long before the table was engaged in a full conversation about Edo and all of the adventures that Lucy had had during her time away from home. They barely noticed when Mai carried out the tray of food and set it before them.

All of a sudden, the scene reminded Lucy of the past, when her old team would sit around a camp fire or at the guild, eating, talking, and laughing about the weirdest or simplest things. Confidence surged within her. She would be able to make it through this trip, she would be able to face her demons and be done with all of this pain and confusion. It would only be a matter of time now. After breakfast was finished, Grey pulled Lucy aside.

"I know that you don't want to talk about him right now, but this is about Natsu," he said quietly so that the others wouldn't hear them.

Lucy simply nodded stiffly in acknowledgement.

"He's pretty shaken up by what happened yesterday. He's been looking forward to seeing you since you left. And he was pretty hurt by the letter that you left," he explained quickly, not wanting to incur her wrath before he could explain the situation.

"I expect so," she said slowly. "But, I'm still not ready to see him or talk to him. When the time comes I will, just not now. There are a lot of issues that I have to sort out." She hesitated for a moment. "You'll tell him that I'll come to him when I'm ready, won't you?"

Grey smiled down at her, "Yeah, you know I will."

Lucy smiled back and they rejoined the table. An hour later, Grey left for the guild, promising that he and some of the others would stop by later or the next day. Mai and Lucy waved good-bye from the doorstep, and once he was out of site, Mai pulled Lucy back inside. "There's something that we need to talk about."

"What is it?" she asked, as she took a seat at the table. Mai moved to stand at the head of the table. She looked hesitant and confused, but also scared. Lucy had never seen her so agitated before.

"I had a dream last night," she began. "It was about _him_."

Lucy nodded. She didn't know much about this mystery man, but she knew that he was once a candidate for the council, until he was banished from the clans. She saw the two brothers tense quickly.

"In the dream, he said that he had found me," she continued. Mai was looking down into her hands, which were clamped tight in her lap. Lucy could see that she was shaking slightly. "I know that it's impossible, but I can't shake the feeling that the dream was real."

"It's not possible. You said it yourself. His powers were sealed the day he was banished from the council," Kano said coldly.

"I know, but it felt too real to be just a dream. I'm afraid that I'm putting Lucy in danger by being here," Mai said, her voice was nearly a whisper. "I wanted to talk to you about leaving. Not you, but me. The boys can stay here with you. I just don't want to risk putting you in danger."

"Mai, don't be ridiculous-" Kai started but he was quickly cut off.

"NO!" She shouted slamming her hands on the table. "You might think I'm crazy for taking this so seriously, but you just don't understand." She looked as if she was on the verge of tears. "That magic, the power that I felt in the dream, it was real. He found me and he's going to come for me." She was shaking visibly now. "Lucy, I know that you don't understand, but it's best if you don't know anything. If he finds out about you, you'll be targeted too. Please understand, I just don't want to put you in danger."

She was shaking uncontrollably now. Mai could feel herself losing control of her emotions, and her powers. It wasn't really like her to do so Lucy knew that. After three years of living with her, and training and learning beside her, Lucy knew that Mai was able to control her feelings with incredibly delicate precision. When Lucy had first begun to train with the rest of the contractors, she learned immediately that emotions were directly linked to their powers, and losing control of one's emotions would mean they would lose control of their powers as well. The pressure in the room was slowly increasing, Lucy felt magic begin to rise rapidly and she knew she had to do something.

"Mai," she said calmly. "Relax, you'll be okay. You don't need to leave. I have an idea."

Mai looked at her wildly, not understanding. "No matter what you do, no one can protect me from him."

"Maybe not a single person, but a whole guild of mages could." Lucy stood and grabbed their coats. "Come one, let's go."

"Lucy you aren't seriously thinking about-" Kai started as he stood up from the table.

"Yes, we're going to Fairy Tail."

* * *

1. I had this kind of mochi before and it's delicious. I get it from this one store around my area. It has this really delicate flavor and it's not over powering. I hope they have it again soon. :/

Okay, once again I am so sorry that this chapter was so late. I didn't know how much work went into being a freshman. I had to go to orientation, pick my classes, reapply for FAFSA, and do all this other crap. It was annoying. I have another orientation to go to in August too. -_- Anyways, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, I had a hard time figuring out how to incorporate the guild. So please read and review.

P.P.S. OMG HARRY POTTER IS GOING TO END. MY CHILDHOOD IS OVER. Anyone else saddened by this debacle?

Truly yours,

WeHoldTheseTruths


	7. Chapter 5

So, I cranked this one out a lot faster than I usually do. It's probably because I have school very soon, so I want to make as much progress as I possibly can. Anyways, I have to say that I was kind of disappointed with the amount of reviews that I got last time. So I want to thank those people.

Satomika- Well I go to a really big University in the States so we can pick which classes we would like to take, though we're restricted to certain classes in our first year.

Fluffyluver2- I hope that this was fast enough for you. :]

Bellator-Tonitrus- I was upset about how they left out a bunch of stuff too! Especially at the end when Harry didn't fix his wand. -_- But I still loved it too.

Fooster26- Lol, I think I sent you a personal message about this. But I always felt that Lucy was special. :]

Thunder-Kitty83- Is your name an allusion to the Thunder Cats? Anyways, I was bawling at the end of the movie too! And I'm glad that you like it. :]

Please guys, if you like what you're reading leave a review it makes me so happy when I read them. Other wise I feel like people don't care about what they're reading and I'm just wasting time writing all of this.

* * *

From the moment Lucy stepped foot in the guild, the whole room was silent. Everyone stopped and stared in surprise as they saw her walk across the floor of the guild to where the new master was seated at the bar, just like the master before him. Though, Guildarts was seated on a bar stool rather than the bar itself (1). He looked up from his drink in surprise when he spotted Lucy and he small entourage enter the guild and make their way toward him. He hadn't known her for long, but he often heard stories about her from her teammates and heard about her situation from the master.

"Lucy! It's been a long time!" Guildarts said happily as he downed his drink. "You're finally back, eh?"

"I wanted to talk to about something," Lucy said in a low voice. "It's important."

"Of course," Guildarts nodded and motioned for them to follow as he led them down into the library.

A few moments later, they were all inside the vast basement library of the guild, seated at on of the many tables inside.

"It's a mission," Lucy began to explain. "We need protection, for her." Lucy motioned to Mai who looked pale, and uncomfortable sitting within the guild. "We think someone is after her."

"Who?"

"I…" Lucy turned to look at the other three. Kai and Kano glanced at each other and nodded slowly. Kano took Mai gently by the arm and together they walked off into one of the nearby sections.

"My brother," Kai explained slowly. "He was banished from our clan three years ago for practicing dark magic. He was stripped of his powers and sent off to some place far away, but Mai said she could feel him coming for her. That he visited her in a dream."

"And what does he want with her?" Guildarts continued to question. He observed the boy in front of him who looked hesitant to answer. Kai didn't look at the man, nor did he look at Lucy, his gaze was directed at the girl, Mai. Even without knowing her for too long, the powerful mage knew that this Mai girl was special, and that her magic was vast and great.

"It's complicated. The less you know the better," Kai said at last.

"I see." There was silence for a moment; Lucy stared up at her current master, wondering if he would accept such a mission. "Before we can accept, we have to know a bit more about your brother. For instance, his name?"

"Kaji," Mai said as she approached the group again. She wasn't shaking anymore, but her color still hadn't returned. "He was my fiancé, before he was banished."

Kano was right behind her; a dark look had come across his features in the few moments that he and Mai had been gone.

"As for any other information that we have on him, there isn't much. We have no idea what he's been doing all this time. No one has been tracking his whereabouts, the clans cut off all ties from him when he was banished," Mai continued.

"What kind of dark magic was he practicing?" Guildarts pushed. He saw the hesitancy in all of them. They looked worried and concerned, as if they weren't sure what to say. He sighed quietly, knowing that they had a secret to keep. "You don't have to explain, I know who and what you are."

The four young people looked up at him in surprise. "The master explained to me why Lucy had left and who she had set out to find. I figured she would be successful. She is after all a member of Fairy Tail."

"Then, you know what we can do?" Kano asked. "You understand what will happen if you tell anyone else our secret?"

Guildarts nodded. "You can rest assured that I won't tell anyone else. But you must tell me what kind of magic we maybe dealing with."

Mai looked away for a moment, before she answered. "A method to control the dead." She said quietly, in almost a whisper. "He wanted to resurrect powerful mages and use their power accordingly."

"That's impossible," the current master said, shaking his head. "It's never been done."

"It is possible, if one has enough power to do so," Mai continued. "He wants my power. He wants to use it so that he can create his army, and take revenge."

The room was silent. Guildarts turned away and began to slowly pace the room, as if trying to decide what to do next. Slowly, he turned back around to face the group and nodded his head. "Alright, the guild will accept this mission. I already have a team in mind. Wait here."

They all nodded and watched as the man walked back up the stairs and disappeared into the guild. Lucy sighed; she could only imagine what the rest of the guild might be saying at this moment. She felt almost sick at the though of having to face them again. It had been so long, and despite receiving the message that Mai had delivered from Erza, she didn't feel comfortable with the whole thing. It was several minutes before they heard the door to the basement swing open again. They heard several pairs of foot sets coming down and the group turned to see who would walk down the stairs. The first to appear was of course Guildarts himself. Lucy watched intently, wondering whom the team he picked was. She then saw the glimpse of crimson and silver and knew right away. She felt her heart sink, and she swallowed hard. It was her team., well at least her old team.

"I believe you've all met already," Guildarts said as he waited by the stairs for the rest of the group to come in. Erza, Grey, Juvia, Lisanna, and Wendy appeared smiling at the group kindly. Lucy watched the stairs with intensity, knowing that he would be coming down the stairs at any moment. Then she saw a flash of blue and felt something collide with her chest. She stumbled back and looked down at the blue cat that was cuddled up to her and smiled.

"Hi Happy," she said petting his head.

"LUCY! I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE BACK. NO ONE WANTED TO BUY ME FISH," he wailed and as he cuddled with her.

Lucy laughed and continued to pet him with promises of buying him some fish.

"Natsu missed you too," Happy said, looking up at her with his incredibly large eyes. "Didn't you Natsu?"

Lucy looked up to see the pink haired man standing there, watching the scene with sad eyes. He smiled. "Of course I did."

Happy laughed and smiled and preceded to talk about what Lucy had missed while she was gone.

"Let's talk about the mission," Guildarts said after a moment. Happy stopped talking and the two groups turned to face him. "I understand that you're not sure when Kaji will be coming, correct?"

Mai nodded. "But I can feel him coming closer everyday. I'll be able to sense him."

"Since we aren't sure when he's going to strike, we'll have a couple of these guys with you at all times."

Mai shook her head. "I couldn't do that, I know that they've divided into teams to do missions, I don't want them to miss out because of me. Kai and Kano are with me all the time anyway."

Guildarts shook his head, "No, if he's as dangerous as he says he is then you need extra protection."

Mai looked unsure about the whole thing, a troubled look clouded her face.

"Why don't we do this?" Wendy began. "Mai-san can go with us on missions from time to time. It'll let us go out on missions and keep her safe. And it'll throw off this Kaji person, because she'll be constantly moving around. It'll stall him at least for awhile."

Guildarts nodded. "Id that okay with you?"

Mai nodded, though she still looked uneasy.

"Then I'll leave you all to discuss the details." Guildarts smiled and left the room, leaving everyone in an awkward silence.

They stood for several moments before anyone said anything, until finally Erza cleared her throat. "So, who exactly is this Kaji person?"

Kano took over from there, explaining the situation with as little detail as possible, dodging the important parts that seemed to be missing. They team look suspicious, but let it pass on account of Mai. Mai grew paler and paler as the day went on and by the end of the day, she was sitting with her head down on a desk, her breathing slightly labored. She rejected any help or any motion to leave, insisting that everything had to be sorted out first.

When it was finally time to leave, Kano helped Mai up, and put his arm around her, steadying her.

"Let's go out the back," Grey motioned and the rest followed.

"I'll take her back," Kano said. And he and Mai went off in the direction of the apartment.

* * *

Just as Kai and Lucy were about to leave, Erza stopped them. "I didn't want to push it while we were inside, because Mai looked ill, but what exactly is going on? All you've given us is vague detail, if we want to protect her properly we need to know more."

Lucy shook her head and looked to Kai. He sighed again and rubbed his forehead. "I can't say. And I'm not saying that because I want to. I really can't. Trust us when we say that it's best that you don't know too much. We know nothing of Kaji's current state, or his magic. All we have is information from the past," Kai paused for a moment. "He was considered a genius, and grew bored of the magic that we were being taught by our family. He was able to teach himself other magic, and excelled. He was especially skillful in dream and psychic magic. He was able to hear the thoughts of those who thought about him. Just knowing his name could put you at risk."

"We've accepted the mission, and thus the dangers that come with it. We have the right to know," Lisanna pushed. Lucy could tell she was uncomfortable with the idea of helping when there was so little to go on.

Kai sighed. "Look, like I said I can't tell you."

"Then why should we accept this mission?" Lisanna was thoroughly annoyed now.

"We didn't ask you to help us," Kai's expression was dark. "It was Lucy's idea."

"Kai," Lucy started, "You know how scared she is. If he's as bad as you say then you'll need all the help you can get."

"Why don't you just move her?" Juvia asked. "Back to you home, he can't enter since he was banished."

Kai looked at her. "It isn't that simple. If he really has his powers back then going home would be a bad idea. It would just encourage him to go after all the people who tried to stop him in the first place. Right now he wants Mai, and so he'll come for her. In order to protect our families we have to stay away from them."

"And put the rest of us in danger," Lisanna retorted quietly. It was just loud enough for them to hear.

"Lisanna-chan!" Juvia exclaimed. Lisanna seemed to ignore her and turn away, heading back into the guild. Juvia looked worried, and bowed graciously before going after her friend.

"It's up to you whether or not you guys want to take this mission. Kano and I won't care. We can take care of our own just fine," Kai said turning to leave. "Just don't get in the way." And with that Kai left the group, following the path that Kano and Mai took earlier. Lucy sighed as she watched him leave and turned to face her old teammates once more. She took a deep breath, and a look of stubborn determination crossed her face. This wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

Back at the apartment, Kano had placed Mai on the couch. They had been a block away from the apartment when she collapsed and he had to carry her all the way back. She was resting peacefully, drifting in and out of sleep, in a daze. Kano knew that she was forcing herself to wake up whenever she would fall asleep, and it concerned him. He took a seat on the floor next to her and placed a hand on her forehead.

"Sleep," he murmured. "I'll be here when you wake up, I won't leave I promise."

Mai looked at him with lidded, sleepy eyes; tears threatening to fall at any moment. "He comes in the darkness." She whispered. Kano only shushed her and gently stroked her cheek.

"He won't come tonight. I promise."

Mai nodded softly before allowing herself to fall asleep. Kano watched her and sighed heavily. Kaji was always a good brother. He was the oldest, gentle, caring, and kind. He was strong too and extremely talented, a genius even. But Kaji always seemed to have this strange air about him. As if he was hiding something. Kano remembered the day that he had given up his position as a candidate. He had been strangely calm; there were no signs of remorse, more like he was pleased with himself and his decision.

After that, the families had paid less attention to Kaji and his actions, and let him do whatever he wanted. That was his reason for giving up his position as a candidate. Surely, if he had remained in the competition, then it would Kaji rather than Kai who would be sitting at the council table next year.

Kano them remembered the conversation that they had the few moments that they had left Lucy and Kai with Guildarts. His brow furrowed with frustration at the thought of what she had told him.

"_Mai."_

"_We have to kill him." She had said suddenly._

"_What?" Kano was unsure if he had heard her correctly. "Mai, what are you-"_

"_It's the only way to stop him. The only way to save everyone." She looked up at him. "When he comes for me. I'll be ready." She turned and began to walk away. "Let's go back."_

Kano had always watched her as they were growing up. Mai excelled at everything that she did, and she had grown up to be a fine mage and warrior, but Kano knew that she could kill someone. It went against every fiber in her being. But she was scared. Kaji's first victim had been her. He had betrayed her, used her after all. It made sense that she was this terrified. All of a sudden he felt useless to stop any of it. When it came to magic and overall fighting ability, he was strong, one of the best out of all of the candidates, but he was nothing compared to Kaji, who always bested him when it came to sparring and training. What's more, he wasn't a council member. He lacked power and it angered him. All he wanted to do was to protect her, like he had in the past. And even then he had failed.

"Kano-nii-san," Kai's voice called from the door. Kano looked up to see his youngest brother looking down at him with worry. "I know you're angry. I am too."

Kano said nothing and turned his attention to the floor. His right fist clenched tight. Kai looked at him with worry, and remorse.

"It should have been you," Kai said quietly. "I'm sorry that I was picked and not you."

Kano looked up at his brother in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"I know how hard you trained to try to become a council member. You deserve it more than I do. If I could I would have given you the position from the start."

Kano just stared at his brother. Kai had never taken any of his training seriously, though he was talented. He had done it for the sheer pleasure of doing it. Kano was always surprised whenever Kai would show up to train, and even more surprised when he officially declared himself a candidate. He had to admit, when Kai was chosen as the successor, it had stung. After all the years of training, he didn't have anything to show for it. He had never expected Kai of all people to pick up on it. He shook his head and smiled.

"No, you deserve it Kai." Kai looked at him in surprise and smiled back.

"Nii-san, about Mai…"

"Ah, she had trouble sleeping, but she's fine for now."

"That's not what I wanted to ask you," Kai started slowly. "Why don't you tell her?"

"Tell her what?"

"That you're in love with her."

* * *

Lucy stared back at the group of mages, determined to make this work.

"Okay," Erza said. "We understand Lucy. We'll take the mission."

Lucy smiled. "Thank you, you have no idea how much this means to me." She glanced at her watch and gave a look of surprise. "It's already this late? I have to go I'll see you guys later!"

As she ran off the group watched her fondly.

"Same old Lucy, huh?" Grey asked breaking the silence.

Erza smiled and laughed in agreement.

Natsu watched, longingly as Lucy ran farther and farther away from him. A crushing pain filled his chest. She was so close, and yet so far. This would probably be one of the hardest missions he would ever endure.

* * *

1. Yes, I know that there's some implication that Laxus is supposed to succeed the master, but I wanted Guildarts to be the new master okay?

2. Kaji is actually the eldest of the brothers. So that would make him three years older than Lucy and Mai. Sorry for making it OC centric again. -_-

3. Anyone get what song I alluded to in the end?

So I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter, I can't promise that the next chapter will come out as quickly as this one did. But please, please, please review! I it would make me so happy. I love reading them!

Truly yours,

WeHoldTheseTruths


	8. Author's Note

Hi guys! I'm really sorry that I've been so inactive lately! College is just such a big adjustment, and I've been pretty busy lately. Anyway, I did have most of the next chapter written, and then my computer got a virus and my computer had to be wiped cause the virus was so bad. So now I'm kind of starting over. But, fret not, I still have my winter break to take care of this chapter.

In other news! I've joined a film/production group! We're called UNEEK F/M. We don't have a lot of work out yet, but it would mean a lot of you would subscribe to our YouTube channel and tumblr page. We're planning a relaunch in January! It's going to be sick. :] So please check us out! I promise a new chapter in the next two weeks okay?

Truly Yours,

WeHoldTheseTruths


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